Chapter Nineteen AS Stone raced toward Lafayette, he gripped the wheel tightly. He had been so focused on Timothy Canton that he hadn’t seen Corey Gutierrez coming. Hell, Erin’s brother being her tormentor had never occurred to Stone. But revenge made perfect sense. An eye for an eye. And since Lily knew precisely what Erin’s death had been like, she must be utterly terrified right now. He thought of all the times he’d held her as she trembled, as she struggled over mental obstacles, fighting assailants who hadn’t touched her and she could no longer see, but had scarred her psyche all the same. Now those men would be all too real. For years, Lily had been the sort to flee, not fight. She’d crawled into her shell, as if atoning for having survived that day. She’d let those monsters rob her of what might have been a bright future. Stone prayed she didn’t do that now. He hoped like hell that she clawed and bit and screamed—whatever it took to survive. If he’d helped her realize her mental strength and it gave her the confidence to retaliate so she could take another breath, Stone would count himself blessed. Even if she couldn’t forgive him for ever considering Bankhead’s deal. Even if she never spoke to him again. Even if he spent the rest of his life pining for her, he’d still be eternally grateful. At his side, Axel looked tense, staring out the window. “How much longer?” “Fifteen minutes.” In the taut silence, it was terribly clear that both men knew that fifteen minutes could be fourteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds too long. Stone pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. “I can’t sit here and do nothing.” Axel picked up his phone and began dialing. “Jack!” he barked when Cole’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Emergency. Lily has been taken. Get me everything you know about Corey Gutierrez. He’s probably somewhere here in Lafayette. Or he was less than an hour ago.” “He’s the one after her?” “Yeah. Heath and One-Mile both saw Canton leave her untouched and watched as a woman they’ve never seen drove away with Lily. The car was registered to Gutierrez. Heath was on foot and lost them. One-Mile followed, but we haven’t heard from him in a while. He isn’t answering his phone, and I hope that’s not bad news. We need another way to catch this asshole before it’s too late.” “I’m still on it. I poked around at his background a couple of days ago but I’ll focus there now. Hang on.” Jack tapped a few keys. “I should hear something soon on that inquiry. The guy owes me a favor.” “I’ll send you the plate number. It’s from California. We’ve got to track that car down. It’s our best hope of finding her in time. Can you call the cops there in Lafayette?” Anxiety bit into Stone’s gut. He counted himself lucky that he knew people willing to help find Lily and bring her home alive. But he didn’t want to have to wait for Jack or anyone else to rescue Lily. He just wanted her safe and sound—preferably in his arms. Before Jack could answer, Stone’s phone on the console beside him buzzed. As he swerved around an elderly couple taking a leisurely drive, he scooped it up, heart racing. He hoped to fuck it was Lily. A glance at the screen dashed that hope. “One-Mile says he followed a woman with a baby taking Lily, who looked sleepy or drugged, into a motel room. He’s been trying to get the sitch since. Three men have entered in the last few minutes, the first with a bulging bag from a hardware store.” That made Stone’s guts knot up. “The second one sauntered in waving a knife in her face. Jesus! The third wore a Dodgers cap.” The guy on the balcony at Lily’s apartment building? Again, Stone didn’t believe in coincidences. “Why the fuck didn’t One-Mile barge into the room or shoot everyone on their way in?” “It’s a public motel.” Axel scowled. “First, you don’t know what room someone is entering until they’ve actually gone inside. There’s all kinds of hell to pay for shooting an innocent bystander. Second, if they’re smart, they’ve drawn the drapes. If that’s the case, One-Mile can’t see inside to shoot the bad guys. And he can’t barge into a motel room without knowing who’s there and lacking backup or any idea what he should be prepared for. It could get both him and Lily killed quickly.” Stone didn’t like it but he grasped the concept. “One-Mile has taken up position on the roof of the Philadelphia Christian Church off of 167.” Axel frowned. “If he’s on the roof, he’s reconnoitering from his sniper position and is waiting to take them out as they exit. What’s near that church?” Stone hadn’t paid that much attention to the places of worship since he’d come to town. It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “It’s right next door to the Royal Inn, a scuzzy little motel with a name that’s way loftier than its reputation,” Jack informed them. “Taking Lily to a no-tell motel would make sense.” Stone snapped in the direction of Axel’s phone, despite being worried out of his fucking mind. Still, he had to focus and stay calm for her sake. “Gutierrez isn’t from around here. He’d need someplace to take Lily where people could come and go in a pretty transient fashion without raising too many questions. He’d want a bed.” And a place to restrain her so he could do his worst. “And he won’t be alone.” Do you have any way to reach her? he tapped back to One-Mile with one hand on the wheel. To his shock, One-Mile actually began to respond. The three tiny dots in the text bubble said he would get an answer, but it seemed to take forever while anxiety gnawed at Stone’s composure. If I did, would I be wasting my time texting you? “What is he saying?” Axel asked. Stone gritted his teeth and shoved the phone in Axel’s face so he could read for himself. “Ask One-Mile if he knows anything else pertinent to the sitrep,” Axel insisted. “We don’t have a minute to waste.” “No shit. You think I’m not entirely fucking aware of that? That knowing every passing moment could be Lily’s last isn’t utterly dismantling me?” Stone snarled. “Hold the wheel.” Once his big passenger had a firm grip, Stone pulled up the text message and replied. There in less than 10. Do you have Lily’s exact position? What else do you see? Again, One-Mile answered promptly. Royal Inn on 167. Facing church. Second floor. Can’t see anything. Drapes drawn. Looks dangerous. Get here. At the man’s reply, Stone tried to stay calm. At least he knew where to find Lily. They couldn’t leave the room without One-Mile seeing. Problem was, Stone wasn’t worried about them escorting Lily from the building. He was concerned that when they opened the door again, it would be to dump her body somewhere. One-Mile might be a great sniper, but he couldn’t start shooting through a covered window without potentially hitting Lily. And if Gutierrez’s wife was still inside, it was possible the baby was in the room, too. How long has she been in there? Stone typed back to One-Mile. 10. No more texting unless emergency. Concentrating. No doubt about it, One-Mile was a douche—exactly like Stone thought when he’d first met the guy. But he also couldn’t argue. As much as he wanted information that might help him understand what Lily was enduring and how he might best rescue her, he didn’t want to distract the sniper from such a critical task. Raking a hand over the stubble covering his scalp, he blew out a breath and turned to Axel, who shouted into his phone as he relayed One-Mile’s information. “Got it,” Jack said. “I’ve got some cop friends. I’ll call them. If you get there first, do what you need to do and they’ll help you out. I’m on my way. I’ll see if I can ping the Edgington brothers for backup.” Stone didn’t bother commenting, and he heard the call end. Beside him, Axel cursed. “This shit is going to be over in fifteen minutes,” Dominion’s security officer said, concern darkening his voice. One way or the other. “Yeah.” Axel reached for his phone again. “We need a plan. No one is better at that shit than Heath.” Had Axel come fucking unhinged? “He lost her!” “She was on foot, so he ditched the flashy white SUV to follow. He didn’t expect her to get in someone’s car.” Axel sighed. “And don’t you ever tell the fucker I defended him.” Stone didn’t want to argue or joke. He just wanted Lily back. Axel was right about the fact that they needed a plan. His head started whirling with possibilities. He discarded as many as he considered almost as quickly as they popped into his head. How could they get into that room without startling Corey and his posse? He didn’t want them to panic and ice her before he could get close enough to pull her out alive. In the near silence of his truck’s cab, Stone heard the ringing as Axel called Heath. The Brit answered almost immediately, his voice sounding clipped over the speakerphone. “I’m still looking. I know she left the parking lot with that woman and her baby.” “The Royal Inn,” Axel supplied. “Brilliant. Popular place today. A woman approached Canton in the parking lot and flirted. I’m guessing she gave him a sex invite and they headed there as well.” Stone heard every word. That seemed awfully coincidental. He didn’t believe it for an instant. “At least if Canton is getting his jollies with a stranger, he can’t be hurting Lily,” Heath offered. Axel gave the Brit the lay of the land, explaining that the woman in the Walmart was probably Corey Gutierrez’s wife, who was apparently helping him mastermind and execute his revenge against everyone who had anything to do with his sister’s death. In fact, he’d bet the woman who picked Canton up was a plant, too. And that Corey intended to dust the gubernatorial hopeful ASAP. The internal ticktock of each passing second pounded Stone’s chest like the blow of a hammer. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t get there in time, but as the miles between the swamp and town whipped past, that was all he could focus on. How fucking meaningless would his life be if he couldn’t save Lily? Then it really wouldn’t matter if he went back to prison or they put him six feet under. Somehow she’d become his one reason to live. If Corey Gutierrez took her away, Stone would waste the asshole on the spot—gladly and with joy in his heart. Even knowing he’d go down for murder one didn’t bother him. The scum who had robbed him of Lily’s light and her of a promising future had to go. Stone finally turned onto 167 from I-10. Only a couple of miles to go. Hang on, baby. I’m coming for you . . . “We need a fucking plan now.” And this was where Stone felt at a distinct disadvantage. He’d never been a battlefield hero. Everyone around him had risked life and limb for their country, their loved ones, their pride. He’d stupidly decided to con some assholes out of money because his student loans had seemed daunting, and why would rich people miss a few bucks? “Should we have the motel management send housekeeping up there to knock on the door and stall them?” Even as he spoke the words, he knew it was a bad idea. “No!” Axel and Jack, via phone, said almost instantly. “They could panic and kill Lily,” Axel explained. “Or whoever knocks on the door. Or both,” Jack added. Axel nodded. “We don’t want to spook Corey and his cohorts. We don’t want to give them any reason to be suspicious. It needs to be a clean takedown.” “It sure would help if we could find some way to persuade them to open that fucking curtain so One-Mile could get a shot in there and disrupt them, maybe pick off one or two,” Jack said just before Stone heard a ding over the line and the rough Cajun swore. “We’re in deep fucking shit. Corey Gutierrez was MARSOC.” “What?” Stone asked, worry tightening every muscle because Jack made that sound bad. “What does that mean?” Axel winced. “Marine Corps Special Operations Command. It means he’s a determined motherfucker with ice water in his veins and he’s probably done some nasty-ass missions in his time.” “What he said,” Jack agreed. “It means he’s not some street thug without serious skills. He’s going to be well-prepared and thorough.” That worry in Stone’s belly turned to acid as it rolled and pitched, eating away at his insides. “We have to be better.” No one argued that point as he passed the Dollar Tree on the right. “But according to the report I just received, Gutierrez was discharged a few months ago for ‘adjustment disorders,’ which is the military way of saying he has psychological problems, and they wanted him gone. That fact and his special ops background explains why it took me a while to track his service down.” It sucked but none of that mattered now. Stone could see the ugly blue sign for the Royal Inn up ahead. He didn’t want to have hauled ass the last thirty-five fucking miles to get here, then dither about what to do. “Plan, guys?” he shouted. “We need one now, or I’m parking this sucker and busting in that door, guns blazing.” “Then you’ll get dead,” Axel pointed out in annoyance. Stone shrugged. “If it saves Lily, I don’t really give a shit.”
* * *
LILY couldn’t imagine a worse nightmare. A guy she’d always thought of as a friend and big brother meant to kill her. No, not just kill her. Violate her in every possible way, then cut her into tiny ribbons and let her bleed out while he reveled. “I didn’t know they were following me when I went to the warehouse that day, Corey. I tried to call you and ask you what you wanted me to do but—” The sharp rebuke on Corey’s face told Lily that casting any blame on him would only make her death more harsh. Did he feel terrible guilt about his sister dying because he’d been stupid and desperate enough to get into dealing drugs for Canton? Because he’d talked to the police? Was he unable to handle the reality that he’d also been at fault? Likely, which was why he found it easier to cast blame on the girl who’d inadvertently given away Erin’s hiding place. Corey had always had a weak side, enjoyed using drugs more than facing reality. He’d left his mom and sister to fend for themselves once the police had released him after his arrest. He must have known when he talked to the cops about Canton’s operation that it would get back to the vicious street boss. No way Corey couldn’t know that punishment would come, swift and severe. “Erin was perfectly safe until you came along. I’ll bet they threatened to cut that baby out of your belly and kill you, you dumb whore. I heard later that you had a stillborn.” Corey’s lips stretched wide, something big and ugly that celebrated her total devastation. “Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bitch. And when the pigs came looking for you because you knew something about Erin’s murder? I reminded one of Canton’s underlings that your mom and little brother were just waiting at home and that you should be taught a valuable lesson about silence.” Lily shrank back in her chair and stared at Corey with absolute horror. At one time, she would have trusted him implicitly. She’d shared meals with him. When she’d been pregnant and scared, he’d promised to hold her hand in the delivery room. Heck, he’d once even given her the shirt off his back after her ex-boyfriend had ripped hers during a fight. And now he meant to kill her. The shock of that rippled through her. For years, she’d been imagining that Corey, like her, struggled with grief. She’d always hoped she would see him someday, when she got the courage to go back to California, visit everyone’s graves, and make peace with the past. She’d pictured running into Corey and finally sharing her sorrow with the only other person she’d been close to who’d also loved Erin unconditionally. “They were innocent!” she protested. “So was my sister. In every sense of the word. I made sure no one touched Erin and knocked her up, like you. The one person I trusted, the girl I thought would always have her back. You cunt. You sacrificed her to save your own skin.” He loomed over her menacingly and raised the back of his hand to her face. “I should have seen you for the cowardly traitor you are.” Though she knew it was futile, Lily couldn’t help herself. Even if Corey never believed her and it didn’t save her life, he needed to hear the words. She had to tell her truth. “I didn’t trade my safety for hers,” she insisted. But he’d clearly expected her to choose her best friend’s life over her own and her baby’s. Would she have made that choice? Could she? Even before going into labor, her instinct to protect Regina had been unshakable. But Corey blamed her when he hadn’t stayed around to protect those most vulnerable in his life. He’d gone into hiding and saved himself. “You’re a fucking liar,” he growled. Lily shook her head. “Mafia followed me after school. I told him I didn’t know anything but Erin was like my sister, too. Maybe I should have guessed that they wouldn’t believe me. But you didn’t hang around to protect her. You left her at their mercy. You left her to die.” Tears trembled at her lash line, threatening to spill. “Shut the fuck up,” Corey snarled, looking ready to commit murder right now. “No.” If she was going to die anyway, she was going to get everything out in the open. “I loved Erin. I mourned. I still miss her every day, along with the rest of my family. Having them taken from me left a hole in my chest I can never fill. The last conversation I had with my mom was an ugly fight, and now I will never be able to repair it. You took that from me.” Even if her mom had washed her hands of her only daughter and hadn’t known how to mother a headstrong girl, the woman had given birth to her, fed her, probably even loved her at some point. She and her brother had been super close. And they were both lost to her forever because of this man. “I can’t believe you suggested their murder to Canton.” She stared at him like the monster he’d become. “What happened to you?” “I said, shut the fuck up.” Corey flushed with fury before he backhanded her across the face. Lily’s head snapped to one side. Her cheek exploded. Pain bloomed. She tasted blood on her tongue. None of that was going to stop her. “No. You fucking listen,” she shot back. “Not only did I lose Erin, you took what was left of my family. Then my baby girl died. Imagine Isabel slipping away before you’d even gotten to hold her. I clutched Regina’s corpse wrapped in a pink blanket for five minutes before they took her from me. I already loved her so much and I cried because she would never know me at all. So how dare you think you were the only one to suffer?” Anguish and terror steamrolled Lily, crushing her heart already bruised by the seeming betrayal she’d endured from Stone and everyone she’d met since moving to Dallas. The tears she’d shoved down inside her for too many years stung her eyes, nearly closed her throat. They rose, refusing to be denied, and began to fall. Corey would see them as a weakness or a plea, and she didn’t care. They were her tribute to those she’d loved, the proof she was still human and cared. They were healing. Even if she didn’t have the chance to shed any more tears before death and no one else saw them, she’d know she’d finally let go of the pain and grief and fear that had held her back for seven bleak years. She released it all and sobbed. The hot tears lashing her face felt like the most lovely, delicate pain. With her hands bound, she couldn’t wipe them away—and she didn’t want to. She let them flow, felt the dam of so much latent grief release. Terrible time for this emotional breakthrough. But then again, despite her best efforts, she might not have a tomorrow. As she tasted the salt of her tears, she wished Stone could see her now. Even if he didn’t love her, he’d cared at least a little, right? He’d looked after her in so many ways. He’d be proud that she’d finally freed her anguish. “The heartbreak I felt over her loss almost killed me,” Lily choked. “In a week, everyone I had ever cared about died or disappeared. I was shocked and alone. And yet I still worried about you. I even tried to find you. And all the while, you were indicting me in your mind, deciding that I’d committed something like treason and I deserved torture and death. All of this—Erin’s death, your misery, my misery—it’s your doing.” This was the real betrayal in her life, Lily realized. Not Stone’s. Corey befriending her, seeming to care about her, being close enough to share a past and secrets—then plotting to harm her after they’d established trust and affection. What Stone had done, agreed to a deal that exchanged her testimony for his freedom, he’d done before he truly knew her. People sometimes found themselves forced to make difficult choices. Those decisions defined who they were as people, the moral makeup of their character. Corey had proven his was every inch rotten. He blamed everyone else for the misfortune he’d begun. Lily didn’t completely blame him for dealing drugs. He’d had so few choices as a kid trying to keep a roof over his family’s head and food in their mouths. But for leaving them to fend for themselves when Canton had turned his vengeful heat on them? Yeah, no one else was to blame more in this situation than Corey. “Oh, boohoo,” Kev mocked. “Shut the fuck up,” Dan sneered. “I can’t listen to you whine anymore,” Corey growled. “We’re getting started now. And the first thing I’m cutting out is your tongue.” “Sweetheart,” Emma ventured. “Before you get too busy, Jacinda has Canton in the room downstairs. I think she’s currently blowing him, but if you want to drug him so we can have fun with him later . . .” “You didn’t do it?” “You said you wanted to.” Corey sighed with impatience and shoved a fall of dark hair out of his face. “Damn it. All right.” “Hey, I’ll go,” Kev volunteered, his brows waggling in a leer. “I want to see how hot my woman looks giving this dude head. Maybe she’d be willing to do us both before we cut his dick off and blow his brains out.” “Good thinking.” Corey nodded. “While you’re gone, we’ll get this slut stripped and tied down to the bed. She needs to start paying.” “I’ll knock when I’m back.” Kev crossed the room. Emma followed him, opening the door for him. Lily looked at the blue sky and the beckoning golden sun for those few precious seconds. The other woman dead-bolted the door behind him, shutting Lily in the dark again with a roomful of psychos. Her tears had slowed. She felt cleansed. And ready to fight. If she didn’t succeed . . . well, she was also ready to face whatever came next. As Emma crossed the room, she lifted her face to Corey for a kiss. He slipped off his shoes and absently brushed a peck on his waiting wife’s lips, like today was a normal day for an average married couple. He and Dan would soon detach her from the chair to move her to the mattress, and Lily knew that might be her only opportunity to escape. She studied the room again. The door was a good six or seven steps away. Kev had longer legs and it had taken him four to reach the handle. Her purse fell into a similar category. A bit closer, but maybe too far to run before someone caught her. That meant she was going to have to fight her way out of this room with her bare hands if she wanted to survive. And she did—so very much. Not just because the imperative to live beat strong in her chest and raced fast through her veins. She wanted more from life. To laugh and cry and love. She wanted to see Stone, tell him she forgave him. And she hoped he understood. She wanted to see if they could have something real if she gave him her all. Could he ever love her, as he’d claimed? She ached to touch him, yearned to share tomorrow with him. And someday, god willing, she wanted to have another baby. As Emma sat on the other bed, she stared raptly, ready to watch the live rape and murder as if it were a pay-per-view event. Corey came at Lily with the shears. He snipped them a few times in her face, laughing when she shrank back involuntarily. Then she forced herself to stop reacting, start planning. The nightstand with the rest of those gleaming sharp implements was maybe three steps away. Still far but her best bet. She’d have to find some vulnerable spot on Corey’s body and hit him before they got her to the bed. The juvenile hadn’t arrived yet. Kev and his considerable muscle would only be gone a few minutes. She couldn’t assume that Stone or anyone else could find her here, no matter how hard they might try. It was now or never. Lily swallowed as Corey cut through the zip tie securing her left ankle to the chair. He made quick work of the restraint holding her left wrist, then tossed the shears to Dan, who did the same on her right side. Together, they hoisted her to her feet. Corey wrenched her arm behind her back, until she gasped and stood on her tiptoes to prevent him from dislocating her shoulder or breaking her arm. “Don’t try anything.” Or what? He already meant to rape and kill her. Frankly, he couldn’t threaten her with much worse. She might as well risk it all. Squeezing her eyes shut and saying a prayer, she pretended to lose her balance and toppled forward. Corey automatically reached out to catch her. Before he could shove her back to her feet, Lily bit the fleshy inside of his biceps and clamped down with her teeth as hard as she possibly could. Almost instantly, she tasted his coppery blood. He snapped his arm back to dislodge her hold and glanced at the red indentations of his wound. “Bitch.” But she wasn’t listening to him. She was lunging for the nightstand, trying not to stumble. She barely managed to snatch up Kev’s big serrated blade. Lily knew she only had a fraction of a second to whirl to her left and hopefully plant this blade in Corey’s belly. But she’d fallen too far forward and couldn’t quite get her balance quick enough to turn and defend herself. Instead, when she arced the blade through the air, she missed Corey altogether. On her right, Dan leapt onto the bed and came at her in a full tackle. Lily screamed and managed to sidestep him at the last instant, gratified when he fell between the two beds and hit his knee on the base of the nightstand with a thud. In feinting, she ran right into Emma, who shrieked and tried to scramble away. Corey latched onto Lily’s left wrist and started tugging. This time, she was ready, twisting around to slash the blade down at him. She sliced through his forearm. A deep wound opened. Blood welled quickly and flowed from the gash. “What the fuck?” he roared and released her to clap his hand over the wound, glaring at her as if she had done the unthinkable. “Oh, that’s it, bitch. If Kev doesn’t get here in the next two minutes he’s going to miss your last gasp.” Lily didn’t doubt that he meant every word. When he lunged for her again, she went for the weak link, rolling onto the bed and scrambling behind Emma. The woman looked over her shoulder left and right, screeching wildly, as she tried to see the threat to her safety. Dan jumped for Lily again too, and she knew she didn’t have time to be polite or gentle. Emma certainly hadn’t been either of those with her. Neither would these men. So Lily grabbed the woman’s long ponytail and tugged hard, exposing her throat. In the next breath, she put the blade, still wet and red with Corey’s blood, against it. A drop fell onto Emma’s breast and rolled into her pink tank top. Corey and Dan both froze. “Leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with this shit,” Corey grated out. “I’m still breastfeeding!” Emma shrieked. Lily ignored her. “I had nothing to do with any of this shit, either. Just because you don’t want to pay for your sins doesn’t mean I will. Will you make your wife pay, you selfish bastard? Then mourn her loss and blame me for wielding the blade? Yeah, you’re the kind of coward who would, without admitting that I wouldn’t have been here to slice her throat open if you hadn’t plotted your ridiculous revenge in the first place.” “Step away from my wife and I won’t kill you.” Corey tried to barter. Obviously he thought she was stupid. “Not happening. Emma and I are going to back out of the room and leave. If you make a move in my direction, I’ll slice her in half.” Lily wasn’t sure she could actually do it, but she had to at least threaten and bluff. And if the worst happened, she would have to try. She would also have to hope that Kev wasn’t on his way back up and that his juvie friend didn’t show. With luck, maybe some law-abiding citizen would see her fleeing for her life and offer aid. Neither man said anything right away, just looked at her with wary, worried eyes. Finally Dan stepped forward. “I’ll take her place. Let my sister go, and you can take me hostage.” “So you can fight back and try to manhandle or overpower me? No. Stand up, bitch.” Lily gave Emma a taste of her own medicine. With a high-pitched whine, the blonde rose to her feet on shaking legs. “Don’t hurt me.” Lily scoffed. “If I had pleaded for your mercy ten minutes ago, you would have laughed. Luckily for you, I’m not bitter or bloodthirsty. I’m also not stupid enough to love a man capable of cold-blooded rape and murder or psycho enough to encourage him. As far as I’m concerned, you get what’s coming to you. But I don’t have any interest in hurting you unless you force me. Now, we’re walking . . .” As Lily sidestepped toward the door, she dragged Emma and kept her back to the wall. Her hostage served as a buffer between her and the two men watching her every move. They neared the door. Emma stumbled, her feet tripping over each other. On purpose? Lily caught the woman with her free hand. “Be careful. This knife is awfully sharp and you wouldn’t want me to cut you by accident, would you?” “No. No. No,” Emma panted, her heart beating so hard it was a wonder everyone in the room couldn’t hear it. As Lily tugged her near the door, she reached for the dead bolt and unfastened it; then she grabbed the handle to the door with shaking fingers. A nervous sweat sprang up all over her body. Anxiety stung her veins. Her heartbeat gonged in her head. Freedom was so, so close. Before she could open the door, she heard car doors slam in the motel’s parking lot. One man shouted, the sound primal and disruptive. Another yelled back an obscenity that made her jaw drop. Seconds later, someone fired a gun. Everyone in the motel room froze, even Lily. “Wait. Don’t . . .” Corey instructed, even pleading a little. “I don’t know who’s shooting out there but that’s no one I know. Dan, look out the window, will you?” Lily thought about objecting but decided if Emma’s brother was peering outside at whatever mayhem was going on in the parking lot, he wasn’t paying attention to her. Still, she kept sharp in case this was some sort of trick. Dan rubbed at his knee where he’d hit it as he climbed back over the bed, sending his sister a concerned glance. She whimpered. Boy, for a woman who’d been so eager to see her sexually assaulted and ripped to shreds, Emma sure had turned mousy and squeamish at the first sign that she was in danger. “Go on,” Lily ordered Dan when he edged too close to his sister. She drew the knife tighter against the woman’s throat. Corey stepped into the space between the beds and glanced out as Dan drew the drape aside and scowled. “Five guys out there fighting. Oh, that looked like a hell of a punch.” “Who are they? Can you tell why they’re fighting?” Corey demanded. “I don’t know.” Dan shook his head, leaning closer to the dirty glass. “They aren’t punks wearing colors or anything.” “Who has the gun?” Corey asked. Dan cocked his head and frowned as if trying to decipher the scene in the parking lot. He drew in a breath as if he meant to answer. Something struck the window. With a loud thump, it cracked the pane. The sound of shattering glass filled the room. The shards fell. Then Dan crumbled, falling on the bed nearest the window. With a bullet hole right between his shockingly pale eyes. Emma screamed. “Dan. Dan! Oh my god . . .” But Dan didn’t answer. He was never going to. He was dead. “Jesus!” Corey blinked. “What the fuck?” Then he turned an evil glare Lily’s way. “You did this. Somehow. What did you do?” “Me?” Lily’s heart lurched. She had no idea who was out there, firing. That shot couldn’t have been an accident. Someone must have been waiting. A sniper? Friend or foe? At this point, did it matter? Corey absolutely meant to kill her. The men in the parking lot might or might not. Lily would take those odds. When Corey charged toward her, she lowered the knife and shoved Emma in his direction. His wife stumbled into him, and he was forced to catch her. Lily didn’t stay to watch what happened next. She wrenched the door open, the fight-or-flight response searing her veins with adrenaline. Sunlight rushed in, golden warmth and blue skies wrapping around her as she darted out of the terrible little motel room with a cry. Over the second story railing, she spotted familiar faces in the parking lot. Hunter Edgington and Jack Cole both crouched behind the open doors of Stone’s big black pickup, weapons visible through the windows. Police sirens suddenly wailed, splitting the sleepy air of small-town peace, coming closer with each second. Logan Edgington darted to the edge of the parking lot to meet them. Axel sprinted across the expanse of blacktop toward her. “Sweet Pea!” As he disappeared under the overhang where the stairs originated near the first-floor rooms, she ran—toward freedom, a familiar face she knew represented safety. But she wanted the one who made her ache for love and devotion and forever. She wanted Stone. Where was he? She heard pounding footsteps ascending the stairs in a full-out run, just about to hit the second floor. Axel couldn’t have reached her that quickly. Had he called out to her because he’d been trying to warn her that the violent juvenile had arrived? Or that Kev was coming for her? Knife in hand, Lily crouched in a fighting stance, ready to defend herself to the death. She’d just outwitted two men willing to do her in. By god, she’d take on another. She’d never be a victim again. She intended to do whatever necessary to protect herself, see justice done, and put every one of those fucking bastards in the ground or in prison. Instead, a nearly shaved head emerged, followed by a beloved face, then the broadest shoulders and a wide chest she’d cradled her head against during some of the best nights of her life. Tight abs rippling beneath it, his gray T-shirt popped into view. He held a gun in one hand, sprinting, his legs pumping wildly to reach her. “Baby!” Relief swelled inside her. “Stone,” she sobbed his name as she dropped the knife. It clattered to the ground as she ran down the stairs, arms outstretched, to meet him halfway. She threw herself into his embrace, crashing into the solid cradle of his chest, against his thumping heart. Tears streamed down her face, stemming from her heart and wrenching her insides out. “I’ve got you,” he vowed. “I always will. I love you.” He’d come for her. And she swore to god that she’d never let anything or anyone tear them apart again. “Fucking bitch!” Corey roared from the upper level above and behind her. “You’re going to die!” She’d barely heard the words and processed them by the time Stone had raised his gun and pulled the trigger. Her heart lurched as she gasped and whirled to meet the threat. But Corey was already crumpling to the concrete walkway above, his gun clattering to the ground with him. Then he lay unmoving, his blood splattered wide around his still body. “Fuck you,” Stone quipped. “Who’s the bitch now?”